Metallic nanoparticles, such as, for example, gold nanoparticles (AuNP), have many known and potential uses. The use of metallic nanoparticles, however, is somewhat limited by two disadvantages. First, currently known triblock copolymer (TBP) facilitated methods for producing metallic nanoparticles result in considerable size and shape heterogeneity of the metallic nanoparticles. Metallic nanoparticles of different sizes and shapes have different properties which limit the use of metallic nanoparticles produced by currently known methods. Second, the modification of the metallic nanoparticles by currently known methods, such as, for example, ligating the metallic nanoparticles with organic functional groups, is both time-consuming and complex, making modified metallic nanoparticles produced by currently known methods expensive to produce and, hence, to use.
Therefore, there is a need for a new method for the production of metallic nanoparticles which increases the size and shape homogeneity of the particles as compared to metallic nanoparticles produced by currently known methods. Second, there is a need for a new method for producing modified metallic nanoparticles which is more efficient than currently known methods.